Congratulations to the winners of the Evolution 2: Far Off Promise contest! The original challenge to our readers was to "design a character that would fit into the Evolution universe." (Readers unfamiliar with the Evolution style should check out our coverage of Evolution and Evolution 2.) Without further ado, here are the entries that most caught our judges' fancy.

Grand Prize winner

Howie Zer by Martin Rose

• Age: 31
• Occupation: Soldier of fortune
• Cyframe: Lance type

   Howie Zer, a skilled and seasoned warrior and renegade from the Society, joins up with Mag and Linear while Gre is back home tending the estate. His rogueish charm quickly gains him the starry-eyed infatuation of Chain. If she only knew that he was actually under contract to the Empire, using the lot of them to further his own quest for their latest attempt at solvency: an intact fortress of the Ancients, brimming over with their lost secrets.

   Of course, even that knowledge is dwarfed by the one lingering sore spot in his past -- his years-ago failed affair with Pepper! She never forgave him for selling out to the Empire, and once she catches up with Mag's crew, the operational and deadly defenses of the ancient fortress, and even the startling secret of its preservation, will be the least of their worries!

Runners-up

Thyme Balm

Thyme Balm by Sean Ward

   Thyme is a mysterious young woman who works for the Society, just like Mag Launcher and his companions. During her childhood, she was constantly ridiculed for her unusual and almost comical name. Thyme wields an intimidating Halberd Cyframe as a weapon, and has the unique ability to use both the power of Magic and synchronize with ancient combat machines. She is hot-tempered, enjoys exploring the local ruins, and has an "explosive" personality. Her motivation for becoming an agent for the Society was that her father's bar tab had become so huge, if it isn't been paid off within one month the bartender threatened to have the Evil Repo Man from Hell come and take all of their possessions. As for whether this wild femme fatale will become friend or foe to Mag...only "Thyme" will tell.

Firin' Colt by Chris McFadden

   A tall, onyx-haired ditz with spitfire tendancies, Firin, also known as 'Blanks', is a beautiful, though somewhat dim woman who means well, but often stumbles over her own good intentions. The nickname comes her use, and quite often misuse of spells, most of them never happening at all.

   However, despite her problems, she is emphatic about her work, usually teaching. She loves to teach by example, both her successes (all too rare), and her failures (all too often), and is ever at the forefront, willing to stumble into things so her companions don't have to. Or never even know.

   When things are at their worst, however, she'll find a way to get things done. Firin is the kind of person who will never say die. She may just do so, especially as gutsy as she is, but will never give up, even when prudence would suggest otherwise.

Miss Ile by Jackson Lin

• Age: 23
• Interests: Artifacts, reading
• Dislikes: rats, stupid people
• Strength: smart, knowledge in artifacts
• Weakness: clumsy

   Miss Ile works in the Ancient Relic Research Center. Bookish and smart, she studies, hoping one day to become a famous scholar. However, she is very clumsy and absent-minded. One day, she accidentally broke a expensive and valuable artifact, and now she had to find some way to repay it. Working as an armature adventuress, she hope to earn enough money to pay back her debt. She is very naive and believes that everyone is nice and good. With her vast knowledge about the artifacts, she set out to make fortune.

Cherry Bomb

Cherry Bomb by Dustin Hubbard

   "Hiya fellas! The name is Cherry, and my last name is, like, Bomb. I've come from, like, a distant land to look for some cool, fashionable clothes that they don't have at home. But, like, so far I haven't seen anything appealing...and there's no studs here, like, whatsoever! Like I'd ever date that lil' cactus looking kid with, like, the pointy hair running around here... What his name?... Crag? Mag? Well, it makes no difference. I will journey to wherever like I need to to find the latest fashion! Whether it be deep in a cave, in a creepy castle, or in a mall, i will find it with my trusty bombs! I just wish my parents would've bought me some bombs with pink fuses instead of green, what were they thinking?"

Shell Casing

Shell Casing by Michael Butts

   In his youth, Shell Casing was crippled by a disease that ran rampant in the Empire. Thanks to the ancient Cyframe technology, his mobility was restored and he's been preaching the benevolence of the ancient culture as a religion to anyone who will listen. He possesses the only known Cyframe that is used for the legs, which provides him with incredible agility and also enables short bursts of flight. Although Shell's sermons preach equality, he is being pursued by a group of fanatics who see him as a god; a reincarnation of the Ancients. His travels have taken him to Museville, where he meets up with Mag and company, and feels that the owner of the legendary Evolutia Cyframe will certainly lead him to a destiny where his ideals can be spread to the populace.

Storm Assault

Storm Assault by Megan F.

   Storm Assault is a twelve year old trying to reach home. It started when she uncover a mystical umbrella in her attic. When she took it outside, she flew off from the ground and into the air. Storm finally landed, far from home, and now she must find other adventurers to help get her back. Meanwhile, Storm has the aid of her umbrella to get her by and is very useful. Open, it serves as a reflective shield toward projectiles. Closed, it serves as a sword. Storm herself is a sweet girl with a lot of quick wit to back herself up. However, she can be a burden, as she'll often get herself into trouble with other people.

Gat Ling Gun by Daniel Seeman

   A Chinese hit girl from a American family. Even since her family died in a Mafia shooting she became a Private Agent. working with hundreds of geeks worldwide, Gat managed to finally hack the GIA's geosynchronous satellite. She gathered up her gear and small weapons (like PP7s and Silenced Pistols) and proceeded to the Mafia headquarters. After killing the head honcho, she decided to join their merry band of robbers and crooks. She lived out the rest of her days as the boss, until she met the self declaired hero Mag Launcher, who she instantly fell in love with because he's the hero. She follows them, against Mag's will, until the very end, lending her skills, as well as her gangs, to the cause. Whatever that is.

"Shelly" Napalm by Todd Ciolek

   Seventeen-year-old Shelling “Shelly” Napalm hails from the frigid, isolated kingdom of Vanella. Her family was bankrupted by her gluttonous brother Blastus, who squandered the clan’s fortune on gambling, debauchery, and forty-nine different kinds of pie. Shelling took on numerous jobs, barely accumulating enough hamsters (Vanella’s unit of currency) to get by. When Blastus was imprisoned for his debts, Shelling departed Vanella, hearing that hamsters were plentiful elsewhere.

   Determined to gather enough hamsters to release her brother and restore her family honor, Shelling Napalm travels constantly. Her weapon, a large bladed yo-yo, is a hazardous tool, but Shelling wields it with an impressive arsenal of damaging “tricks”. With her black hair pulled into a large ponytail, Shelling tries to project the image of a practiced treasure-seeker, but she is slightly naive at heart, and is puzzled by an economy that does not revolve around the exchange of small furry animals.

MT Clip by Travis Dews

   MT is a disgruntled member of an elite special forces group: aMMo. During his short training session he is confronted by his childhood rival Fullie Auto, who is quickly making his way to the top of the aMMo ranks do to his popularity more than his skill. MT is discouraged, and strikeds out at Fullie but MT is stopped and kicked out of training. Over the course of several years Fullie overtakes the aMMo organization and learns the black arts, and no being is able to deter him from his destructive reign. MT, who trained on his own following his banishment from the group aMMo, is perhaps the only one who can undo Fullie's evil grip on the world.

   Motivation for the quest: MT never quite finished his training so his quest is to seek the help of the 9 Mages of Magic (the 9mm), only with their help will he have a chance of abolishing Fullie's reign. On his way he meets many other characters who are daring the same quest. Some will support MT's effort willingly, others will be a little more difficult. Throughout all this MT must struggle with his own emotions, whether his mission remains to achieve victory at any cost can accept the loss of a loved one he holds most dear...

Fan Artwork

   While the following artists did not place in our contest, they have graciously allowed us to post their artwork along with the results.

Evolution 2-style fan artwork
Gun-Gun	Mortar Claymore	Tommy Gun